FIFTEEN
Middle East
The world sat in stunned and breathless silence for almost a day. Shock. Trauma. Terror. The emotions boiled high. Like a man who’d been shot, the world seemed look down in surprise, astonished to see the blood begin to seep from his chest. The pain would come, but it was slow, the shock keeping the anguish at bay.
Rescue operations were sluggish and cumbersome, for the area was so radiated that it was impossible to work. The dead remained in the streets of Gaza. Without assistance, many of the sick and the injured died, and the stench of rot filled the air.
Devastation and destruction. More than 140,000 dead. Five thousand more had died in the first day alone.
Israel pleaded with the world, declaring its innocence. “We did not do it! We did not do it!” they cried.
But no one believed them. The evidence was in and it was crystal clear. Everyone had seen what had happened. It was too obvious to deny. The Jews had been desperate. They had panicked. In a moment of fear and rage, they had overreacted in the most horrible way.
And now they had to pay the price. A hundred forty thousand dead and dying Palestinians could simply not be denied.
* * *
The president of the United States made a quick statement, begging for a calm and measured response to the attack. “We don’t really know what happened,” he declared to the world. “We must be patient. We must be careful. We must not condemn until we know. And we will stand by our ally until we know who to blame. Israel is our closest friend and our most important ally in the region, and we will not desert them until we have proof they are responsible for the attack.”
But everyone knew that was what the U.S. president would say. No one listened to him. They were finished listening to him now.
The first world leader to speak after the U.S. president was the Secretary-General of the U.N. The lead diplomat stood before the General Assembly in an emergency meeting, his white hair shining brightly under the television lights. His voice rose and fell with emotion. He was on key, a perfect delivery, indignant and full of self-righteousness. “What we have just witnessed,” the Secretary-General began, “is nothing but genocide. Ethnic cleansing and vile hatred of the very worst kind! Not since the last century has our planet, our home, been polluted by a nuclear device. Not since the closing days of World War II have so many innocent people died. How many guiltless Palestinian families were killed yesterday? How many more are dying even as I stand here? How many more will die before the death count is complete?
“We must identify and punish those Jewish leaders who have committed this atrocity. We must hold them accountable for the genocide. Crimes against humanity cannot be simply swept away. And we must ensure that the people who supported them will be held accountable as well.
“And then, my fellow leaders, we must consider the next step to take.
“How many years now has the world been roiled in strife? Since the founding of Israel, we’ve seen nothing but war. There is no peace, and there will be no peace, until we take the next step.”
He left the next step undefined, but everyone knew what he meant.
“Do we need any more excuse,” the Secretary-General completed, “or have you finally seen enough? Have we need of further evidence than what we were shown yesterday? I think not. I think not.”
Within an hour of his speech, the European Union made a formal statement, condemning the state of Israel as well as any who had supported them in this most horrendous attack. Already, European Muslim immigrants, almost fifty million in all, were rioting in the streets, demanding justice, demanding punishment, demanding the destruction of Israel and the United States. Watching their own streets erupt in Muslim fury, the European leaders cowered. They knew that the immigrants had been growing in numbers, but now there were so many. And they were so strong! So many Muslims. So much fury. They could wield a furious power of destruction if the leaders didn’t tread carefully.
On the evening of the second day, the United Nations Security Council met in an emergency session. It was almost midnight when the meeting got under way, and for the first time in the history of the U.N., the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was not allowed to attend. A security delegation of the General Assembly stood at the doorway to keep him from entering the Security Council room.
The U.S. ambassador protested and argued, but it didn’t change anything, and the meeting was called to order with him standing outside the closed door. For almost ten minutes he stood there, looking like a fool to the gloating press, then finally left in a rage, disappearing down the winding stairs.
The French ambassador called the meeting to order. “Israel has created an enormous problem,” he started. “One that will be extremely difficult to deal with, I’m sure you agree. And yes, it is true that Israel must be punished, and we, as a body, must soon turn our attention to that. What will happen to her, I don’t know, I don’t think anyone can predict. It will be dire. It will be unpleasant, but we have to remember this: The problem isn’t only Israel. The much greater problem is the United States.”
The German and Russian ambassadors all nodded, clapping their hands to agree. The Chinese delegate remained silent. This was all good to him. The English ambassador huffed for a moment, and then remembered the twelve million Muslims who lived inside England now. He remembered the strident anti-American candidates who had gained so much power in the local elections. He considered the anti-Semites who had become brazen now, picking up power at almost every turn. He remembered the pictures he had seen of the nuclear explosion over Gaza, the charred and burning bodies, the dead children on the street. He remembered all this, then sat quietly and listened.
The German ambassador stood next to his European brother. Together, they proposed a joint resolution. The time had come for the world to move beyond the postwar perceptions and recognize things for what they were. The United States, once a great and benevolent nation, was no longer a force for good. Instead, the Americans and their allies had become the greatest threat to peace in the world. Always arrogant and self-serving, they had grown far too powerful. And their few allies had grown evil as well, the puppet state of Israel having proven that beyond any doubt.
But if they could neuter the Americans, her allies would be neutered as well. Without the United States, her puppets wouldn’t have the power to wreak such havoc in the world.
Therefore, the two ambassadors proposed a drastic resolution.
Two hours later, after a nearly unanimous vote, the United States was kicked off the Security Council. It seemed the best way to indicate the world’s disdain.
As the second most populous nation in the world, India would be given the old U.S. seat. And yes, the U.N. charter would have to be either amended or ignored to accommodate the resolution, but no one seemed particularly concerned with the governing rules right now.
The proposal was put before the General Council, where it passed overwhelmingly.
And while the United States protested angrily, the rest of the world seemed to cheer.
* * *
On the evening of the third day after the attack, King al-Rahman of the House of Saud was given time to address the General Assembly. Before doing so, he informed the U.N. leadership that he had been asked to speak for the entire Muslim world and all Arab-speaking peoples. It would be his task, he told them, to provide their formal response to the nuclear attack.
The world breathlessly waited to hear what he said.
King al-Rahman stood at the enormous podium, looking down on the representatives from virtually every nation on earth. His comments were being broadcast throughout the entire world. Almost five billion people watched him as he stood tall and proud before the cameras. He was a handsome man. Well mannered. Well manicured. He certainly looked reasonable. A man the world could work with. Not a man to fear. He even looked like a king! Strong. Compassionate and yet defiant. Confident and still kind.
“I stand here before you,”
the king started to say, “because I have been asked to speak for my people, to speak for my fallen kin.
“Now, I understand what you expect. You want me to stand and condemn the state of Israel. I should. And I will. But this is not where I want to begin. You see, we have been hacking at the leaves of this new evil for far too long now. We hack at the leaves, and they keep growing because we ignore the root.
“So I stand here, my brothers, my fellow human beings, to declare the need to let the leaves blow, for they will fall in the wind if we can destroy the root!”
A silence fell over the assembly. The cameras rolled. All sat grim-faced. A deadly hush filled the air.
“My oldest brother has been killed recently,” the dark-haired king continued in a solemn tone. “My own father, the beloved king, killed as well. Enemies of the state of Israel, I wonder now who had them killed?
“So I stand here as an Arab and a Muslim, one who has felt the harsh sting of death. I stand here as a brother to one hundred and fifty thousand Palestinians—and the number is still growing—who have been mercilessly killed, as the son of a dead father and a dead brother, my prince. I stand here to cry out for justice and vengeance as well.
“We can talk all we want about Israel. We scream and condemn. We can point fingers and plan retaliations. We can pound our fists on our desks. We can do this and more, but we would be wasting our time. You see, my fellow world citizens, I know now, we all know, where the real problem lies.”
The king paused and lifted a large photograph and held it for the cameras to see. “U.S. combat soldiers operating inside Iran,” he explained. “A clear and warlike violation of this nation’s borders and integrity. Now, how would the United States react were an Arab nation to secretly send its combat troops to operate within U.S. borders? You don’t have to think very long. The answer is clear.”
The king dropped the picture and lifted another. “Muslim men being tortured in a U.S. military prison,” he explained. “This is only one of many U.S. gulags in the world; it just happens to be the most famous one: Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. But there are many more: Abu Ghraib in Iraq, Saud el-Amin in Pakistan, and Bagram prison in Afghanistan, Ishmet in Indonesia, to name just a few. From one hemisphere to another, there are military prisons everywhere. Most are secret. None are open. The International Red Cross cannot get in. These torture chambers have become such a scourge that Hitler and Stalin would be proud. Tens of thousands of innocent victims sit and rot in these prisons where they are tortured, starved, and beaten every day. And why are they held? What crime have they done? Even according to many U.S. courts, they have committed no crime. Their only crime, their only sin, is that they are Muslim men. From this evidence, and more, it has become clear that the United States is waging a war against my religion and my people, against a culture and ethnicity that is different from theirs.
“Who will speak for these prisoners? Who?
“That is why I stand here. I speak for them today!”
The king stopped and looked out on the delegates, their eyes all fixed on him. They smelled blood now, and they wanted to get in on the kill. The king’s black-and-white headdress fell perfectly down his neck, and his dark eyes stared out as he brought his hand to his chin. “And now I must tell you, fellow delegates, that I have further devastating news.
“I have been informed that we have evidence, even proof, that Israel coordinated its attack on Gaza with the U.S. president. In addition, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has informed me that the nuclear bomb that was dropped over Gaza was supplied by the United States. Every nuclear detonation leaves a particular fingerprint, one that is traceable, and this warhead was almost certainly produced by the U.S. weapons facility in Tennessee. The head of the IAEA has assured me that they will know for certain very soon. But either way, the United States must have known what was coming. How could they not know? Israel would never have taken such a step without the express approval of its master. In fact, it is my opinion that the United States not only approved the attack on Gaza, they commanded it. Think about it, fellow delegates. Haven’t we seen this before? Think of what the Americans consider an appropriate response. A few thousand Americans are killed in this very city in an attack—an attack, I might add, that was roundly condemned by virtually every Arab state. Yet how does the United States respond? They invade a sovereign nation, causing an untold number of civilian deaths. They destroy an entire government. An entire country is taken down.
“But does the United States stop there? No, they are merely getting started. Iraq was to follow, a nation that had virtually nothing to do with the World Trade Center attack. Who was to follow after that? Iran has been living under threat of invasion for more than a generation! Is North Korea next? How do we know when they’ll stop? Is this the American’s idea of proportion? Is this the American’s idea of a fair and appropriate response? Something nips at their heels and they crush their heads. ‘Be our slaves or we destroy you. Do our bidding or you die. You are either with us or against us.’ How do you reason with that?
“But that, my fellow citizens, is the great lesson they have taught us today. That is the lesson of this new century.
“And now we have seen that Israel has learned the lesson from its master very well.
“But I reject it. I reject it! And we must stop them now.
“The blood of a hundred thousand Palestinians cries out from the ground. Ten thousand tortured Muslim prisoners cry for vengeance as well. Israel must be punished, but so must its master, for the slave does not do but what the master bids it to do.
“So I come to you, my brothers, and beg you to act. And if you will not act, then don’t condemn me. If you will not act, if you don’t have the courage to finally make a stand, if you don’t have the courage to defend those who are defenseless, then at least stand out of the way. If you have no courage, then don’t try to stop me from what I am then forced to do.”
The king stopped and looked out into the audience of world leaders who immediately burst into applause.
SIXTEEN
El Saud bin el-Aziz Auxiliary Air Base, Northern Saudi Arabia
The Chinese general was escorted across the dry airfield by a Saudi aide holding an umbrella over the colonel’s head, not so much to block the sun as to hide the rank on his shoulders from the American satellites or reconnaissance aircraft that might be prying overhead. Yes, the Saudis thought they had a handle on most of the U.S. intelligence satellites, but they often varied their flyover schedule, and the high-flying drones might be overhead at any time.
As the Chinese general walked, he glanced around the remote airfield. A few trucks had been parked at the opposite end of the runway, while a pair of French Mirages and two early version American F-16s sat on the far tarmac. A herd of white goats grazed in the center of the field, their shaggy coats attracting gnats and black flies. The few men present were dressed in military attire. There had to be more guards than he could see, the general suspected, but they remained hidden from his view.
The general hacked and spit nervously. The king of Saudi Arabia had agreed to his demands for a personal meeting, which was very important in order for him to save face. But with the kind of money they were talking about, he would have agreed either way.
The Chinese general was escorted down a long ramp that led under the desert sand, through a set of steel double doors, along a long hallway, down a winding staircase, and through more steel doors. He ended up in a small conference room. No windows. One door. A single table. Nothing else.
The Saudi king was waiting. He stood when the general appeared.
The conversation was fairly short. It was a simple request.
“Do you understand what I am asking?” the king finally queried.
The general had a few questions. What was in the crate? Was it drugs? Heroin? Counterfeit American bills? No. Obviously not. Had to be much more important, much more valuable than that for the king to be involved. Where was it goin
g? What was the hurry? Why must it have an escort? All this, he needed to know.
The Arab king frowned as he raised his hand. “Too many questions,” he answered bitterly. “Too many things, I cannot tell you right now. But what I ask is very simple. Only one crate. That is all. One crate to be shipped across your country. That is all I ask. If you can assure me of its safe arrival in Shanghai, then my people will take it from there.”
The general smiled, mentally counting the money. Five million U.S. dollars. Twenty- and fifty-dollar bills. All for assuring safe passage of a single crate for the king. When he considered the money, his questions didn’t seem so important somehow.
The two men talked a few minutes. Then the Chinese general agreed.
He would allow a single crate to transit his country. But only one. And only once. And, not knowing its contents, he insisted on measures that would guarantee deniability for both him as an individual and his government. No records would be kept anywhere along the way. A Chinese military transport would pick up the crate at a small airport on the border and carry it to Beijing. The transfer to the civilian freight carriers in the city had to be under the general’s direct control. One of the Chinese intelligence organizations at the port facilities in Shanghai would see that the crate was cleared through customs without leaving a trail. Nothing would be documented or written down.
“And there will be no inspections,” the king insisted again. “The crate will never be opened or inspected. You will see to this!”
The Chinese general nodded. For five million dollars he would.
“And you will get it across your country in twenty-four hours?”
Wrath & Righteousnes Episodes 01 to 05 Page 62
